Special Guest to Commemorate American Thespian
Hosted by City of Lodz and Museum of Lodz

Izrael Poznanski Palace
Ogrodowa 15, 91-065 Lodz, Poland

August 5, 2017 at 1pm, Press Conferance
August 7, 2017 at 11am, The Legacy Celebration

Omar Sangare was invited as a special guest to honor the 150th anniversary of Ira Aldridge’s death. The anniversary event was organized by the Polish city of Lodz, where the 19th-century thespian died during a European tour, and where his grave is located. A century and a half later, following an invitation from the Lodz mayor’s office, Sangare recited excerpts from “Othello” and Elizabethan poems as part of the anniversary commemoration.

Must the Promised Land necessarily become cursed and haunted? Is it possible to curtail moral downfall and pursue happiness instead? In his eye-opening play, Pulitzer Prize winner Tracy Letts reveals the secrets of an American family collapsing under the weight of its own mistakes and avalanching toward final disintegration. The play surged in popularity after a screen adaptation starring Meryl Streep and Julia Roberts, for which both were nominated for Oscars. As directed by Associate Professor Sangare, this theatrical production will examine contemporary relationships and investigate personal and social values. Sangare will be joined by the same international group of theatre creators that collaborated with him on the production of “Princess Ivona” at the ’62 Center in 2015, later featured at Theatre Row in NYC. A set designer from Poland, a choreographer who performs at the world-renowned Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch in Germany, a lighting designer from Broadway, and two Williams alumni—a sound designer and dramaturg—will reunite to surprise the audience yet again with an innovative theatrical creation, uncovering new meanings between the lines of the classic script.

“This was an absorbing and powerful evening of theater, one which brought home to me the latent strength of Tracy Letts’ play. It is clear that his creation is sufficiently rich to elicit a variety of different approaches, and, if he had seen this, I think he would feel deeply rewarded…by his own achievement, Omar Sangare’s understanding of his play, and the outstanding, dedicated work of the Williams students. I hope, like Princess Iwona, this production will appear in New York. I’d love to see it again” –Michael Miller, New York Arts

January 15, 2016 at 8:00pm
January 16, 2016 at 2:00pm
January 16, 2016 at 8:00pm

This theatrical production unites Williams Theatre artists with a creative team of international collaborators, including a set designer from Poland, a lighting designer who worked on Broadway and New York Fashion Week, a dramaturg from Yale University, a sound designer from the vanguard of innovative New York theater, and two choreographers from Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch.

Presented by arrangement with Rita Gombrowicz
Produced under the auspices of the Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York, in partnership with the Embassy of the Republic of Poland in Washington D.C., Williams College, and Polish Cultural Institute New York.

As a special guest of the 40th Gdynia Film Festival, Omar Sangare will take part in a screening of “Aktorka,” a documentary about the life and legacy of the Polish actress Elżbieta Czyżewska. The film features interviews with Sangare, along with Oscar-winning director Andrzej Wajda; Annette Insdorf, a professor at Columbia University; renowned playwright John Guare; and Meryl Streep. Interviewees share their reflections on working with Czyżewska and discuss her charismatic personality, both on stage and in films. The documentary offers a fascinating, dynamic, often controversial portrait of the artist, spanning her works in Poland as well as the United States.

Omar Sangare performed with Elżbieta Czyżewska in the Polish premiere of “Six Degrees of Separation,” presented at the Teatr Dramatyczny in Warsaw. In the documentary, Sangare talks about their rehearsal process, performances, and their friendship over the years. The film also introduces the play “Three Kinds of Exile,” in which Sangare played a part written especially for him by John Guare. The play, produced by Atlantic Theatre Company in Manhattan, brought together John Guare and Omar Sangare in a two-actor tribute to the life of their mutual friend, Elżbieta Czyżewska.

The Gdynia Film Festival takes place between September 14-19, 2015 in Poland, and is one of Europe’s major film events, hosting national and international guests. It is extensively covered in the press, with national live telecast and reports from the location. Festival audiences will have a chance to enjoy a program that includes the special screening, retrospectives, independent cinema, lectures, workshops, concerts, exhibitions, and Q&A sessions with artists after film presentations.

This theatrical production unites Williams Theatre artists with a creative team of international collaborators, including a set designer from Poland, a lighting designer who worked on Broadway and New York Fashion Week, a dramaturg from Yale University, a sound designer from the vanguard of innovative New York theater, and two choreographers from Tanztheater Wuppertal Pina Bausch.

At a press conference on September 4, 2014, the Minister of Culture and National Heritage Professor Małgorzata Omilanowska, Director of the Polish Film Institute Agnieszka Odorowicz, Director of the Gdynia Film Festival Leszek Kopeć, and Artistic Director of the Festival Michał Oleszczyk announced the Main Competition Jury at this year’s Gdynia Film Festival.

The Festival is an annual event held in Poland since 1974. The main prize is the Golden Lion, presented to the most visionary artists for their outstanding films presented as part of the Festival Competition. Some of the past winners of the Golden Lion include: Jerzy Antczak, Agnieszka Holland, Krzysztof Kieślowski, Marek Koterski, Jerzy Skolimowski, Andrzej Wajda, and Krzysztof Zanussi.

John Guare presents three artists, all of whom forged complicated lives in the West, having struggled and suffered amid the cultural and political turmoil of Eastern Europe in the mid‑20th Century. One of the stories pays tribute to the Polish actress Elzbieta Czyzewska. John Guare and Omar Sangare meet on stage to bring the memory of Elzbieta to life. Part III of the play has been inspired by the works of Witold Gombrowicz, most notably “The Marriage” and “Trans-Atlantyk,” from a literary translation by Omar Sangare. This theatrical production has been videotaped by The New York Public Library’s Theatre on Film and Tape Archive at Atlantic Theater Company, New York City, and is publicly available at the Performing Arts Library at Lincoln Center.

United Solo Europe was created as a program promoting high‑quality solo performances to international audiences in Europe. Solo artists from around the globe come to share their inspiring stories, cultural uniqueness, and diverse aesthetics. This program expands the aspirations and goals of the New York‑based company, United Solo. Recipient of the Order of the British Empire and two-time Laurence Olivier Award winner Fiona Shaw will open this year’s United Solo Europe with her remarks on solo theatre. The performers participating in the European showcase come from Finland, Sweden, Poland, USA, and Italy.

Omar Sangare, the founder of United Solo, the world’s largest solo theatre festival, has been honored by nytheatre.com as one of their People of the Year for 2012. Every year since 2004, nytheatre.com has honored fifteen theatre artists and companies who have made particularly exciting, noteworthy, and outstanding contributions to the New York theatre scene.

Omar Sangare has been promoted to the position of associate professor with tenure at Williams College. Founded in 1793, Williams College is the top‑ranked liberal arts college in the United States (U.S. News & World Report). The college’s two thousand students are taught by a faculty noted for the quality of their teaching and research, and the achievement of academic goals includes active participation of students with faculty in their research.

Omar Sangare’s publication, entitiled Othello. Pale from Envy, has been awarded with a Literary Award in Poland. The book was published by Nowy Swiat Publishing House under the auspices of the Polish Ministry of Science and Higher Education and Consulate General of the Republic of Poland in New York with an editorial note by Oscar-winning director Andrzej Wajda on the book’s cover. This publication had its recent presentations both on National Television TVP in Poland and at the Polish-American Nowy Dziennik Bookstore in New York City.

Whilst visiting Poland, Omar Sangare received the honorary title of the Ambassador of his hometown Stalowa Wola (Polish: Ambasador Stalowej Woli). The title is granted by the City’s Mayor and the Artistic Director of the City Cultural Center to selected individuals in recognition of their lifetime achievements and contributions to the popularization of the heritage of Stalowa Wola.

Omar Sangare was selected by the U.S. Department of State for a video project that appeared as part of President Obama’s trip to Poland in May 2011.

This series of short documentaries focuses on Polish Americans who contribute to the innovation, creativity and vibrancy of America, featuring a wealth of prominent Polish Americans who are proud of their heritage while having an impact on America’s social and cultural fabric.